Role of peroxidation in erythrocyte aging.

The role of membrane peroxidation in red cell aging was investigated by exposing rat erythrocytes to a peroxide-generating system of xanthine oxidase with hypoxanthine, and the resulting alterations were compared to those observed during in vivo aging. Erythrocyte incubation with peroxides decreased the activities of adenylate cyclase and protein kinase, enzymes which were found to be reliable markers reflecting differences between young and old cells. Membranes from age-separated erythrocytes were solubilized and subjected to electrophoresis on gradient polyacrylamide-sodium dodecyl sulfate gels. Electrophoretic patterns indicated that old erythrocytes contained higher amounts of several membrane proteins than young cells. These were proteins in bands 2.1 and 4.1, and proteins of molecular weight larger than 250,000. There was a relative increase in the amount of proteins in band 4.1 and the high molecular weight (greater than 250,000) proteins as a results of peroxidation. These studies demonstrate that cells incubated in vitro with a peroxide-generating system resemble senescent erythrocytes in membrane enzyme activities, cell density, and membrane protein composition. We propose that peroxidation plays an important role in red cell aging.